16 killed as AIE flight skids off Kozhikode runway, splits into 2

16 killed as AIE flight skids off Kozhikode runway, splits into 2

Plane Falls Into Valley; Pilot & Co-Pilot Dead

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kozhikode/New Delhi: 8.8.2020

An Air India Express flight from Dubai trying to land in torrential rain with 191 passengers on board overshot the tabletop runway at Kozhikode’s Calicut International Airport in Kerala on Friday and fell into a 35-foot-deep gorge at 7.41pm, killing at least 16 people.

The aircraft, a Boeing 737, broke in two. The deceased include flight commander Deepak V Sathe and co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar. According to flight tracking sites, the aircraft made two attempts to land before touching down the third time, leading to the accident.

The flight was part of the Vande Bharat repatriation mission and most passengers were stranded non-resident Keralites returning home from the UAE following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sources said at the time of the third attempted landing the wind speed was 15 knots and there was heavy rain. The aircraft was high on approach, possibly due to strong tailwinds. It landed beyond the touchdown point on the runway, which was why it failed to stop in time.

The impact snapped the plane fuselage into two

Red alert issued for Coimbatore, Nilgiris

A red alert has been issued for Coimbatore and The Nilgiris districts following IMD’s forecast of intense rain on Saturday. The two districts had been already battered by four days of intermittent rain. Fields in many parts of the two districts are completely submerged in water. Heavy winds had uprooted trees, disrupting power supply in several areas. Meanwhile, inflow into the Mettur dam surged from 6,000 cusecs on Thursday to 45,000 cusecs on Friday evening, raising the water level in the reservoir by nearly four feet. P10

Many passengers suffered serious injuries due to crash impact

The nose of the aircraft and the cockpit area were completely destroyed and the fuselage had broken into two pieces. Many passengers suffered serious injuries, including to the head and fractures, due to the crash impact. Fortunately, the plane did not burst into flames.

Aviation minister H S Puri said he was “deeply anguished and distressed at the air accident in Kozhikode... We are in touch with local authorities. State police have reported 11deaths. Relief teams from Air India & AAI are being immediately dispatched from Delhi & Mumbai. All efforts being made to help passengers. A formal enquiry will be conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).”

“Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM @vijayanpinarayi Ji regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected.” Prime Minister Narendrs Modi tweeted.

Firefighting personnel and hundreds of rescue workers immediately reached the airport and the injured were taken to government medical colleges in Kozhikode and Malappuram and private hospitals in Kozhikode and Kondotty. State health minister K K Shailaja said many passengers had serious injuries.

According to Air India, there were174 passengers, 10 infants, two pilots and five cabin crew on board the aircraft. It is the first major accident at Calicut International Airport in its 32-year history.